Creation Trilogy Book 1 W for Winterview
by Novum-Semita
Summary: When new girl, Bonnibel Buddenhagen, moves to Winterview can she fit in with the city's somewhat eccentric populace of Activists, badass girl gangs, preppies, nerds, cheerleaders and whacky teachers? And who is the wild young rocker girl who seems to have caught her eye? The title will make sense once all three books are uploaded. See if you can spot the meaning behind it. AU
1. New Places, New Faces

Winterview, a sprawling city lying on the west coast of America, the very epicentre of trade and commerce, inhabited by businessmen and dreamers alike. It possesses the best education facility in a one hundred mile radius, it is the largest commercial area in the country and it has some of the best night life on offer. By all means a desirable place to live, right? Well, not for everyone.

Bonnibel sighed, resting her head against the window of the estate car as she watched the motorway railings pass by in a blur of grey. The sky too was grey and a dense mist hung over the road ahead, creating an air of gloom to match the young woman's mood.

"What's the matter, Princess?" asked her father who was driving. He saw his daughter's glum expression in the rear view mirror.

"Why did we have to move?" asked Bonnibel, "I liked my old school."

"It won't be so bad," replied her father, "The school here is supposed to be really good and I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends." Bonnibel said nothing but returned to looking out the window. Yeah, she'd make friends, but who was to say that they wouldn't move again just as she got settled. This wasn't a new experience for her. She and her family had moved five times during her lifetime and each time it had been the same old story. As she continued to look, Winterview slowly started to materialise out of the mist. The air in the car was stuffy and Bonnibel opened the window, feeling the cool damp air on her face, whipping back her pink hair. Her father didn't really approve of her shock of pink dyed hair but he had given up on convincing her otherwise.

Already she could hear the hum and buzz of the city, however faint. Car horns blared at one another, vents of the irritated drivers within the metal casings and from somewhere she could hear the steady chug of a train rattling along the tracks. It had started to rain which only added to her dreary mood.

At last they reached the city and the sounds became louder. Feeling irritated, Bonnibel closed the window and leaned back in the seat. She picked up her mp3 player and put the headphone buds in her ears. She scrolled through the list of songs until she found one of her favourites before closing her eyes, forgetting the world around her.

The next time she opened her eyes the car had come to a halt outside a large red brick house with a gabled black tile roof and ornately framed windows. It was practically a mansion but it looked old and, to Bonnibel's eyes, rather foreboding.

Her footsteps echoed in the foyer as she carried her suitcase into the house. As she had surmised it was indeed old. A great many paintings hung from the walls of the foyer and there was a bell pull next to the grand staircase.

"Your room's upstairs, sweetie," said her mother, Nessabel. Bonnibel followed her mother upstairs and along a corridor lit by ornate lamps made to look like old gas wall sconces. Her room was relatively large with a window that looked out over the vast garden. In the centre of the garden was a fountain and around it were several benches. Bonnibel put her suitcase down on the bed and crossed the room to the window. Nessabel rested her hand on Bonnibel's shoulder. "I know you miss your friends," she said gently, "But your father's right. It won't be so bad here. And you can always write to them." Bonnibel nodded. That was true.

After a while Nessabel left the room and Bonnibel heard her mother's high-heeled footsteps receding down the corridor. What if her dad was right? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She flopped down on the bed and unzipped the suitcase, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for; her journal. For all intents and purposes it was a diary but Bonnibel preferred the term journal as it sounded, to her mind, much more organised and didn't give off the same dramatic teen vibe that clung to the word diary. She fished about in her purse for a pen and began writing:

_Dear Journal,_

So I've just arrived in Winterview. Dad wasn't kidding when he said it was big; it's huge. I hope I don't get lost too often. I'm going to miss my friends a lot but mum's right, I can still write to them. And maybe they can come visit during the holidays or something. School starts tomorrow and already I feel the same nerves creeping up on me again. I wonder what the people there are like. I've decided something. I don't have very high hopes of staying here so I've decided that I'm going to try and not get too close to anyone because the same thing will only happen again. I've had enough of leaving those I care about behind. Anyway, it's no good dwelling on it now. 

She put the pen down and lay back, letting her head sink down into the pink pillow. Her eyelids began to droop as the long day's travelling finally began to catch up with her.

She awoke the following morning to the beeping of the alarm on her phone. She sat up and stretched, scrubbing a hand over her tired face and through her dishevelled hair. She looked down at herself and her tired expression turned to one of dismay when she noticed that she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. She got up and crossed the room to the en suite bathroom where she shed her clothing before stumbling into the shower. The water came on hot and she yelped, leaping backwards from the scalding downpour. She twiddled the dial on the wall and waited for the water to cool before stepping into the water once more.

Once she had finished and her hair was bundled up in a towel she took out her favourite outfit from the suitcase. It was a light blue dress with several layers to the skirt and a light pink cardigan with frills around the collar and cuffs. She slipped on a pair of white high heels before running a brush through her damp pink hair. She plugged in the hairdryer after a lengthily search for a suitable socket and began drying her hair.

Once her hair was dry she slung a beige satchel over her shoulder and made her way down the corridor to the grand staircase. The house still felt very unfamiliar and it took her a few minutes to find the kitchen. Peppo, their butler, was already in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs greeted her as she sat down at the polished wooden table.

"Good morning, Bonnie," said Peppo as he set down a plate in front of her. Peppo wasn't his real name of course but Bonnie had nicknamed him that because he always smelt of the peppermints he carried around in his pockets. As Bonnibel's parents were frequently away on business it had often been Peppo's responsibility to look after her when she was a young girl. Of course this was hardly necessary now and he had now adopted the role of a confidant, someone the young woman felt able to share her worries with.

"Are we going to be staying here long?" she asked as she ate. Peppo knew what the young woman was thinking.

"We should be here for at least a couple of years," he replied. He did not, of course, know how long Bonnibel's family planned on staying here or indeed if they planned on staying long term but he did his best to sound optimistic.

"Do you want me to drive you to school?" he offered.

"That's okay, Peppo," replied Bonnibel, "I think I'll get the bus. I'll need to start learning my way around this place."

"Alright," said Peppo, "But you have my number if you get stuck, right?"

"Yep," smiled Bonnibel, "Thanks for the breakfast, I'll see you this afternoon."

"Good luck on your first day," Peppo called after her. Luck, that was exactly what the young woman needed.

The school was an imposing square building with a single large glass panel on the front of the main building. Bonnibel stood at the wrought iron gates for a moment. She could see some of the students standing in the grounds or hurrying towards the main doors. A few older boys were slouching by a bronze statue of a rearing stag, the school's symbol, while several girls stood in a group near the main doors. One of them had a bouffant of purple hair piled up on top of her head and it looked like she was the centre of the attention as she relayed whatever crucial information she had gathered to her awed listeners. Bonnibel made her way past them and through the sliding doors.

The school's interior was much more welcoming. The foyer, with its high ceiling, sofas lined up against the wall and signs hanging from the ceiling put her in mind of an airport. Off to her left was the reception desk where a woman with red curly hair sat looking over some class registers. She walked over to the desk. The woman looked up when she heard her approach. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just moved here and this is my first day," replied Bonnibel, "Can you tell me where I'm supposed to go?"

"Okay, I'll just need your name," said the woman.

"Bonnibel Buddenhagen," replied Bonnibel.

"Let's see, Bonnibel, Bonnibel," murmured the woman as she scanned the computer screen before her, "Ahh, here we go. You're in room D106. Just follow the main corridor until you reach the D corridor, there's a brown sign. Turn left and go down the corridor. It's the first door on your left."

"Thank you," said Bonnibel before walking down the main corridor in the direction the woman indicated. It didn't take her long to find the D corridor and she looked in through the small window. Most of the class were there already. She took a seat next to a girl with close cut turquoise hair with blonde roots. She was wearing a hoodie that was a few shades darker than her hair and she was playing a videogame.

"Looks like Pingu's late again," said the girl, looking up from her videogame.

"Pingu?" replied Bonnibel, looking puzzled.

"Oh," said the girl in surprise as though noticing Bonnibel properly for the first time, "You must be the new girl he told us about. I'm Beatrice but everyone calls me Bea." She held out her hand which Bonnibel shook.

"I'm Bonnibel," she replied, "Who's Pingu?"

"Mr. Petrikov," explained Bea, "He's our form teacher."

"Why do you call him Pingu?" asked Bonnibel, now genuinely curious.

"Take a look at his desk," replied Bea, "See all those penguin ornaments?" Bonnibel nodded, "He's absolutely obsessed with penguins so we call him Pingu." As she finished her sentence the door opened and a man with wild white hair and a bushy beard walked in carrying a suitcase. He looked up when he saw Bonnibel.

"Ahh, you must be the new student," he said with a grin, putting down his suitcase next to the desk, "Why don't you come up to the front of the class and introduce yourself?" Bonnibel got up and walked up to the desk.

"Hi, I'm Bonnibel," she said a little shyly. She didn't like getting up in front of people and talking.

"Bonnibel who?" prompted Mr. Petrikov.

"Bonnibel Buddenhagen," added Bonnibel. There were a few sniggers at this, another thing she was more than used to. Her surname was German in origin and more than a little longwinded.

"Now, I want you all to give Bonnibel a warm welcome and show her the ropes," said Mr. Petrikov as Bonnibel sat down."

"Hey there," said a voice behind her. She turned around to see the blonde haired girl wearing a rainbow turtleneck top and blue denim jeans, "I'm Lindsay, Lindsay Rainey."

"Hi, I'm Bonnibel," smiled Bonnibel. She turned back to her desk as she heard a sheet of paper being placed there. It was her lesson timetable.

"What's your first class?" asked Lindsay. Bonnibel scanned it quickly.

"History," she replied, "With...Mr. Death? Is that his real name?"

"Yeah, but he pronounces it D-ath," explained Bea, "That's what me and Lindsay have first as well. We'll show you where the classroom is."

Mr. Petrikov took the register and just as he had finished reading out the announcements the bell rung, signalling the start of classes.

"Okay, history's on the top floor," said Bea, "The stairs are this way." They followed Bea along the corridor.

"So, where are you from, Bonnibel?" asked Lindsay.

"I moved here from Aldoak," replied Bonnibel.

"Aldoak?" said Bea, instantly interested, "Isn't that where they held the last Cavecraft convention?"

"Yeah, that's right," replied Bonnibel.

"Did you get the chance to go?" asked Bea. Bonnibel shook her head.

"No, my parents were away that week and I was staying with a friend," she explained.

"That's a shame," replied Bea, "It was supposed to be really good. I was supposed to go but that _would_ be the week a massive hurricane hit."

"You get hurricanes here?" said Bonnibel in surprise.

"Yeah, nearly every autumn," replied Bea, "I'm surprised you didn't know already. Winterview's famous for its storms."

"I guess that's one detail my parents forgot to mention when we moved here," sighed Bonnibel with a wry smile.

"Don't worry, our city's well prepared for that sort of thing," Bea reassured her, "We have evacuation points and most of the houses are reinforced against high winds."

"I haven't seen a hurricane since I got here," added Lindsay, "Of course, that was only a year ago."

At last they reached the classroom where a bunch of students were already gathered.

"Here we are," said Lindsay, "Mr. Death should be along soon. He's usually pretty on time."

A few minutes later a man with pale skin and high cheek bones approached them carrying a stack of books. He had thinning hair almost the same shade as his skin which at first made him appear bald and a pair of spectacles perched precariously on his nose. He unlocked the classroom door and the class filed in.

"Alright, class, open your textbooks to page 32," instructed Mr. Death.

"Sir, Bonnibel doesn't have a text book," said Lindsay. Immediately all eyes were on the newcomer and Bonnibel felt her face starting to glow pink.

"Did she forget it? And can Bonnibel speak for herself?" asked Mr. Death.

"N-no, Sir, I just moved here yesterday," Bonnibel spoke up, "This is my first day."

"Well then, as this is your first lesson we'll recap what we've learnt over the past month," he said as he passed a textbook to Bonnibel. He turned to the blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk. "Alright class, this month we have been learning about the Industrial Revolution." He wrote the words, 'Industrial Revolution' on the blackboard before turning back to face the class. "Who can tell me when the revolution started? Yes, Matthew."

"The 1760s," replied a boy with brown hair and freckles.

"And where did it start?" asked Mr. Death.

"Great Britain," piped up a girl with bright orange hair.

"Yes, Fina, correct," replied Mr. Death, "But who can tell me exactly what the industrial revolution was?" This question demanded a long answer so, like with many classes before it, there was a reluctant silence. No one wanted to speak for that long.

"Come on, we only learnt about it three weeks ago," said Mr. Death, "Anyone?" After a few minutes he sighed and turned to the blackboard. "Very well," he said, "The Industrial Revolution was a period of transition from hand production methods to machine based manufacturing, new chemical and iron production processes, more efficient water power and the increasing use of steam power. Anything else?"

"People started using coal?" said Bea.

"Correct, and it was the time when many machine tools were developed," continued Mr. Death, "Those were the benefits. But what were the disadvantages?"

And so the class continued with the teacher continuing to ask questions of increasing complexity and notes were taken. As the end of class drew near Mr. Death turned back to face the class.

"As you already know there is a test on this at the end of next week," he reminded them. This reminder was met with a groan as students bemoaned either the fact that there was a test at all or that they had forgotten to revise.

The bell rang and the students made their way out of the classroom.

"Well, it's break time now so we're going to head down to the common room, wanna come with us?" asked Lindsay. Bonnibel smiled.

"Sure," she replied.

"And we can get something to eat," continued Lindsay, "They just installed some new vending machines."

The common room was a large circular room that backed out onto the courtyard. Benches were clustered together in groups, clearly separating the students into their associated cliques. Lindsay made a beeline for the vending machines while Bonnibel and Bea sat down on a bench near the edge of the room.

"How are you liking it here?" asked Bea as she took out her games console.

"It seems really nice," replied Bonnibel, "I haven't had much of a chance to explore yet though."

"Well, me, Lindsay and Lily-Sue often go into town," said Bea, "They do their shopping and then we usually go to a comic book store or two. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you joining us next time."

"I'd like that," smiled Bonnibel.

"Do you play many videogames?" asked Bea.

"A few," replied Bonnibel, "Cavecraft and Super Lucio Bros."

"Did you get the newest cave craft update?" asked Bea.

"The Biome update? Yeah, I downloaded it a week ago," replied Bonnibel.

"I see you two are already getting along," observed Lindsay as she joined them, "Hope you haven't left me too far behind." She smiled.

"Hey, I just asked Bonnibel if she'd like to join us next time we go into town," said Bea.

"Great idea," Lindsay smiled, "It'll give us a chance to show you around the town."

"Lindsay here knows the town like the back of her hand," said Bea, "And she hasn't even been here as long as I have."

"Where are you from?" asked Bonnibel.

"Winterview born and bred," replied Bea, "My parents own a computer store in the centre of town."

"What do your parents do?" asked Lindsay.

"They're businesspeople," replied Bonnibel, "They look out for new products to sell and stuff." She sipped her cola before changing the subject.

"I heard here has great night life," she said, "What's it like?"

"Well, most of us go down to the night club on the High Street," replied Lindsay, "It's very lively and they're lots of dancing. They even hold a karaoke night sometimes."

"The club's got quite a reputation for both great parties and music," added Bea, "Sometimes they get local bands to perform there." Bonnibel smiled, she liked the sound of this night club.

Before long it was time for their next class: triple biology.

* * *

One and a half hours later they met up and made their way down to the canteen. The room was already full of the early lunch hustle and bustle, students queuing to be the first to the food being served up at the counter.

"Where's Lily-Sue?" asked Lindsay, "She said she was going to meet us here."

"She's probably off gossiping again," replied Bea.

"What was that about gossiping?" asked a voice behind them. Bonnibel turned to see the same girl she had spotted earlier with the bouffant of purple hair. She had a star shaped hair clip in her hair and she was wearing a purple string top and skirt, a pair of black fishnet tights and black stilettos.

"Oh, hey LSP," said Lindsay, smiling a little sheepishly.

"And who's this?" asked LSP.

"This is Bonnibel," replied Lindsay, "She just transferred here today."

"Hey there, the name's Lily-Sue but everyone calls me LSP," said LSP. She joined them at the table.

As LSP and Lindsay became engaged in a discussion involving something or other school related and Bea became increasingly engrossed in her videogame, Bonnibel allowed her eyes to roam about the room. Her gaze fell upon a group of five girls dressed in punk rock style clothing. Among them was a girl with waist length black hair that was shaved off on one side.

"Who are they?" she asked Bea, pointing over at them.

"Ah, they're the Wildcats," said Bea with a stern expression, "The one on the left with the green bangs is Tessa, better known as Shrieky for good reason, the one next to her is Gina although everyone knows her as Gecko. The one with the bright green mop of hair is Van Rach and the one next to her is Willamina but she prefers to be called Will."

"Who's the one in the middle?" asked Bonnibel.

"That's their, leader, Marceline," replied Bea, "I advise that you stay away from them though, especially Marceline."

"Why's that?" asked Bonnibel.

"They're always getting into trouble and playing pranks," replied Bea, "And everyone here knows that Marceline's the meanest out of their group."

"Bea, that's a little harsh," said Lindsay, "I know Marceline doesn't come across as the nicest but I think she's just misunderstood."

"Yeah, about as misunderstood as Sonic 06," replied Bea.

There was an uncomfortable silence at this. Bonnibel wanted to ask what Lindsay meant but decided it could wait until later.

It wasn't until near the end of art that Bonnibel got a change to question Lindsay further.

"What did you mean earlier?" she asked.

"About what?" replied Lindsay as she continued painting the still life the teacher had set out for them.

"About Marceline being misunderstood," said Bonnibel. Lindsay paused for a moment, setting her brush down on the easel.

"She went through a bad time a couple of years ago," explained Lindsay, "She came out to her dad and apparently he got really angry, practically disowned her. She'd already lost her mother several years before so when she fell out with her dad that was the final straw. She got herself an apartment on the outskirts of town. She always was a little rough around the edges but it got worse after that." Bonnibel listened as Lindsay continued. "I sorta admire her really. To be out on your own at that age takes guts. And she's had to move a few times recently but no one knows why. She's not the sort of person who talks about her problems easily. But you're probably best to stick to Bea's advice for now, until you get to know here better." She resumed painting. Bonnibel turned back to her own easel, now more curious than ever.

At last it was time to go home. Bonnibel made her way down to the bus stop and got on the bus back home. It was starting to rain and a strong wind was blowing in from over the sea. She couldn't help but think about what Bea said about the hurricanes. She certainly hoped she'd missed them for this year.

At last she got home and made her way up to her room. She picked up her diary and began writing.

_Dear Journal,_

Well, so much for what I wrote earlier. But maybe this time around things will turn out better. I've already made some new friends and everyone seems really nice. The school can be a little confusing to get around but I'm getting the hang of it. I was only late to one class but that was art so I didn't mind. I don't think the teacher really minded either.  
I wonder what Marceline's really like. Bea says I should stay away while Lindsay reckons she's just misunderstood. I'm really curious now. Oh well, I guess I'll find out in time.


	2. Convozone

Bonnibel lay on her stomach on the pink satin sheets, staring at the phone where it sat on the bedside table, silently willing it to ring. Rain pattered steadily against the window and the rain drops turned the view beyond into a wash of greys, greens and browns. It remained stubbornly silent and Bonnibel sighed, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling where a bluebottle was buzzing around one of the light fixtures. She picked up one of the pillows and buried her head in it with a most unladylike groan. She sat up slowly, still hugging the pillow to her. She supposed now was as good a time as any to begin revising for the history test. She rummaged around in her bag for her notebook and the text book before sitting down at the desk next to the bed. She flicked through the pages until she found the chapter she was looking for. She began reading, pausing every now and then to note down an important date or event, soon falling into the half daze that was characteristic of revision. A loud clap of thunder jolted Bonnibel out of near sleep and she looked at the page where, to her dismay, the same sentence had been written three times. Her stomach rumbled and she looked up at the clock which read 6:00pm.

She closed the book and got up, making her way down the corridor as a flash of lightning briefly lit up its entirety, throwing the ornaments on the shelves into sharp relief.

As she reached the kitchen she heard the sound of pots clinking and she opened the door to find Peppo preparing dinner. She looked around. "Are mum and dad home yet?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Princess," said Peppo, "They called about an hour ago to say they'd be home late. Apparently there's a massive storm blowing in from the sea and they've decided to wait it out. It wouldn't be safe to travel at the moment." Bonnibel nodded.

"One of my friends said that Winterview gets hurricanes almost every autumn," she said as she took down a cup from the cupboard and set the kettle to boil.

"Yes, the last one came about three months before we moved here," replied Peppo as he continued stirring the contents of the pot, "We should have missed them all for this year thankfully. How are you settling in?"

"I've made a couple of friends," said Bonnibel, brightening at this, "Bea and Lindsay."

"I'm glad to hear that," smiled Peppo. He had been afraid the young woman would find it hard to make new friends given how often she and her family moved around.

"Are there any nice boys there?" asked Peppo with a mischievous smile. Bonnibel couldn't help but laugh as she filled the mug with the now steeped tea. "Peppo," she said as she stirred the contents of the cup, "Even if I did find someone I liked like that, you know I'd never be able to go out with them. I just know that as soon as things got serious we'd have to up sticks and go.

Peppo smiled wryly but retained his usual positive attitude. "It might not come to that," he said, "Maybe there'll be enough business in Winterview to keep us here."

"I'd certainly like that," replied Bonnibel as she sipped at her tea.

After dinner Bonnibel flopped down on the sofa and switched on the TV. The picture flickered into sight, revealing a weather man standing in front of a map, pointing at a cluster of isobars inland.

"And this bank of low pressure is what's bringing in that bank of cloud and the high winds accompanying it," he informed the listeners. The map faded and was replaced by a temperature chart. "And it looks like the temperatures will remain cool throughout the rest of the week." Bonnibel picked up the remote and changed the channel.

The next channel turned out to be a vintage music channel depicting a woman with choppy blonde hair wearing a yellow top with a vulture on it, a black shiny jacket that looked as though it was made of plastic and a pair of black shades. She sung with a confident air and Bonnibel found herself moving in time to the music. It was punk style, not a style she usually listened to but this song sounded different from the screaming vocals and loud instruments she usually associated with punk bands. Bonnibel picked up the TV listings and flicked through the pages, her eyes scanning the columns for anything interesting. She soon found a program which seemed interesting and she settled down to watch.

The clock chimed eleven and Bonnibel sat up and yawned, stretching. She made her way upstairs to bed where she changed into her pyjamas and nestled down under the sheets.

* * *

She awoke the following morning to her alarm. She rolled over, silencing it for a few extra minutes before going back to sleep.

It sounded again and this time she got up and dressed, going through her usual morning ritual.

After a quick breakfast she made her way down to the bus stop.

As she got on the bus she noticed Lindsay sitting near the back. She waved her over with a friendly smile and Bonnibel sat down next to her.

"Morning, Bonnibel," she said cheerily.

"Hey, Lindsay," replied Bonnibel. The bus set off again down the main street in the direction of the school.

The bus came to a halt near a large shopping complex and Lindsay scanned the line of pupils queuing to get on.

"Looks like Bea's not in today," she noted, "See that computer store over there?" She pointed at a red brick building across the road. Bonnie followed her gaze and nodded.

"That's Bea's house," said Lindsay, "Her parents own that store and they live above it.  
Before long they reached the school and headed for the main doors. Immediately Bonnibel knew that something was different from yesterday. The corridors were full of groups of students talking excitedly to one another and the air seemed to bristle with energy.

"What's going on?" Bonnibel asked of her taller companion.

"They're probably talking about the senior disco," replied Lindsay.

"What senior disco?" asked Bonnibel. Lindsay looked mildly surprised.

"But it's been all over Convozone," she said incredulously, "Didn't you hear about it?" Bonnibel looked more confused than ever. "What's Convozone?" she asked. Now Lindsay looked genuinely shocked and Bonnibel began to feel a little awkward.

"You mean you've never been on it?" said Lindsay, "It's the biggest social network and the most popular. Most of the students here have a Convozone. Meet me at the library at break time. I'll get you signed up if you want. It's the best way to stay up to date around here."

"Yes please," replied Bonnibel, thinking that the sooner she was up to date with her classmates, the better.

"Anyway, the senior disco takes place every March in the assembly hall near reception," continued Lindsay, "And the reason everyone gets so excited is because it's tradition that you bring a date with you."

"But I haven't got a date," replied Bonnibel.

"Don't worry, there's still another month to go," Lindsay reassured her, "I'm sure you'll find someone."

They made their way down to the form room where half the class were already gathered. Mr. Petrikov was already there and had just begun the register as they sat down.

"Cutting it a little fine, weren't you girls?" he said with a raised eyebrow before continuing.

"As I'm sure you're all well aware," Mr. Petrikov began once he had finished the register, "The senior disco is next month and I don't want any sort of tomfoolery taking place. Is that clear? We all want you to have fun but please, do it safely. Also, I must remind you that alcohol is strictly forbidden at the disco. Anyone found in possession of any will be removed from the dance hall and marked down for detention." The pupils rolled their eyes at this. It was common knowledge that regardless of what the teachers said, there would be at least one drunk student in their midst.

The bell rang for class and Bonnibel and Lindsay made their way down to the science labs for double physics.

"You know, if they would just give us the chance to drink responsibly no one would feel the need to sneak it in and get completely pissed," said Lindsay as they walked.

"That's teacher's for you," replied Bonnibel, "It was exactly the same at my old school. One year a group of boys brought in some hula hoops and a funnel. They turned the hoops into one long pipe and poured beer down it. They hung it out one of the upstairs windows and called it the beer bong."

"There's been stuff like that here too," said Lindsay, "Though I don't think they've tried a beer bong yet."

They reached the classroom where they let themselves in and took a seat near the back.

"Are there any upcoming tests for this class?" asked Bonnibel as she got out her books.

"No, we just had our last test a few days before you got here. We'll be carrying on with learning about outer space," replied Lindsay. She sat in silence for a moment. "Y'know, I was just thinking," she continued, "In our group we all have nicknames for each other. I'm usually called Lady, Beatrice gets called Bea and Lily-Sue is better known as LSP. Now that you're one of us, we'd better think up a name for you." She looked Bonnibel up and down.

"How about pinksta?" she suggested. Bonnibel shook her head. "You're right, too brash," conceded Lady, "Hmm...what about...Buddy?" They took one look at each other and burst out laughing.

"I would've suggested B," said Lady between laughs, "But Bea's already got that covered. I guess we'll think of one eventually, right?" Bonnibel nodded, still smiling.

Soon after the rest of the class joined them and the lesson began. Lady soon lost interest in what the teacher was saying and instead gazed out the open window where the weather looked tantalizingly pleasant for a change.

"Lindsay," said the teacher, "Lindsay!" She looked like she was growing impatient. Bonnibel nudged Lady who sat up quickly, looking half dazed.

"Yes, miss?" she said.

"Can you tell me what happens to a binary star during its evolution?" asked the teacher waspishly.

"Umm...yes, one of the stars starts to take material from the other star," began Lady, looking a little flustered, "The star that gains material becomes larger and..." She trailed off, having forgotten the last portion.

"Yes, and the star becomes so large that they eventually come into contact and shared material envelops them," said the teacher, "And then what?" she directed this question at Bonnibel.

"The stars explode in a nova and become a white dwarf and red dwarf," replied Bonnie hesitantly.

"That's right," said the teacher before heading back to her desk, "And the white dwarf and red dwarf sometimes continue to transfer material, resulting in a second nova. These novas can result in an increase in brightness of up to 10 magnitudes."

"And who can tell me what will happen to our sun in the future?" asked the teacher.

"Hey, thanks for letting me know," whispered Lady.

"No problem," replied Bonnibel.

"No talking back there," snapped the teacher.

At last the bell rang to signal the end of class and Bonnibel and Lady made their way down the corridor towards the main building.

"Okay, the library is just down here," said Lady as she led the way. She opened a door and Bonnibel followed her inside. The room they found themselves in was the computer suite next door and each wall was lined with desktop computers. Lady sat down at the nearest one and logged into the network.

"Okay, this is Convozone," she said, gesturing to the screen. The logo in the corner depicted to speech bubbles with the words convo and zone in them. Lady got up and let Bonnie take her place as she talked her through the process of signing up.  
"And just remember to keep the friends setting on when posting otherwise it makes it visible to everyone," explained Lady, "And I'll just add you and then I'll show you how to send a friend request to the others." By now Bonnibel was starting to get the hang of the site and she now had three friends on her Convozone. She had received a message from Bea, saying that she just had a stomach bug and that she should be back tomorrow. She decided to check out LSP's profile to find out a little more about the purple haired gossip. She heard Lady talking on her phone to Bea but she wasn't really listening.

The cursor hovered over a button next to LSP's friend list that read, "People You Might Know." Curious, she clicked the button and up came a list of people. Some of them she recognised by sight as people from her class. There was the red haired girl called Fina and guy she had seen earlier who had blonde stubble on his chin and spiked up blonde hair. Then she noticed something that made her do a double take. There, in amongst LSP's list of friends was Marceline. Intrigued she clicked Marceline's name which brought up her profile page. There were a lot of photos, some selfies and some of Marceline and the green haired girl known as Van Rach. They were often making creepy faces at the camera. Apparently Marceline didn't keep much private on her profile. Bonnibel scrolled down the page, keen to find out more about the mysterious punk rocker. Her cursor hovered over the send friend request button. Should she? What harm could it do?

Just then the bell rang.

"Well, I guess we'd better go," said Lady, "Otherwise Mr. Howle will throw a fit if we're late." Reluctantly Bonnibel signed off and followed Lady out of the library.


	3. A Grand Day Out

The bell rang, signalling the beginning of lunch. Bonnibel packed up her books into her bag and followed Bea, Lady and LSP out of the door. LSP folded her arms.

"Well, I'm still mad at him," she mumbled under her breath.

"Who's LSP mad at?" asked Bonnie.

"Oh, her boyfriend, Brad," replied Lady.

"Ex-boyfriend," LSP corrected her.

"So, what did he do anyway?" asked Lady.

"He kissed me on the mouth," replied LSP crossly, "I so wasn't ready."

"A kiss," replied Lady, "Is that all?"

"Is that all, Lindsay, is that ALL?" LSP burst out, "It's not that he kissed me, it's that I wasn't ready. He was going too fast."

"Sheesh, alright, alright," replied Lady, "Sorry I asked."

"Anyway," said Bea, eager to stop the rapidly forming atmosphere, "About this afternoon."

"Oh yes," Lady added, eager to change the subject, "That's right. Hey Bud," she turned to face Bonnibel. Bud was the nickname that seemed to have been settled on. Bonnibel wasn't quite sure about it yet but at least it was better than Bonnibel she thought.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"We were thinking of heading into town this afternoon after school," said Lindsay, "Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure," replied Bonnibel.

"Okay, we're going to meet at the lockers and we'll catch the 12A bus," explained LSP. They walked into the canteen, "You guys go on ahead," said LSP, "I just have to get my purse from the lockers. I'll catch up with you."

"I hope she isn't going to have another fight with Brad," murmured Lady once LSP had disappeared from sight.

"I can't believe she's getting so worked up over a kiss," mused Bonnibel.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" asked Lady. Bonnibel shook her head.

"No, I've never even been on a date with anyone," replied Bonnibel, "Have either of you guys?"

"I've had a couple of boyfriends before," said Lady, "Back at home."

"Where's home?" asked Bonnibel.

"Korea," replied Lady.

"Wow, really?" said Bonnibel, now curious, "Do you speak Korean then?"

"예, 그것은 내 첫 번째 언어이다," replied Lady.

"What does that mean?" asked Bonnibel.

"It means, yes, it's my first language," replied Lady. They took a seat near the window while they waited for LSP to return. They didn't have to wait long and LSP joined them after buying a Panini from the canteen.

"So, what's on our agenda?" she asked as she took a bite out of the Panini.

"Well, I have to get some hair clips for the disco next month," said Lady.

"And I have to get a walkthrough for the new sonic game," added Bea, "What about you, Bud?"

"I don't really have anything to get," replied Bonnibel, "I thought I'd just have a look round."

"And we have to take you to that new ice cream place that opened a few weeks ago," added LSP, "Their sundaes are to die for."

"Well, I think we've got our day all planned out," smiled Lady, "And I'll show you a few of the sights."

* * *

A few hours later the final bell rang and the girls made their way out of the front gates. They walked down the road towards the bus stop.

"Do you think we'll have time to go to the arcade?" asked Bea.

"I should think so," replied LSP, "We're not exactly in a big rush.  
The bus trundled up the road towards them. It stopped and they got on, sitting down near the back. Bonnibel was lost in thought as the bus started up again. Ever since she had asked Lady about Marceline, for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about her. What could have turned her into the girl she was now? Surely it wasn't all down to the falling out she had with her dad. The wrong crowd perhaps, or maybe something else?

A bump in the road jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, are you ok, Bud?" asked Lady. Bonnibel realised the others had stopped their conversation and were now looking at Bonnibel.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Bonnibel.

"You sure?" asked Lady, "You're looking a little tired."

"Really, I'm fine," Bonnibel reassured her. Bea laughed.

"Sheesh, Lady, you're such a mother hen," she chuckled.

"Oh, give over Bea," smiled Lady. Bonnibel laughed and nudged Lady's shoulder playfully.

The bus pulled into the station and they got off, thanking the driver.

"So, where first?" asked Bea.

"What about the ice cream place," suggested Lady, "No good shopping on an empty stomach."

"Agreed," the others responded in unison.

The ice cream parlour was located in the bustling centre of the city, flanked on either side by fancy looking clothes shops. It looked a little out of place with its colourful decorations on the windows and sign swinging in the faint late winter breeze. It was made to look something like an 80s diner with its black and white chequered floor, chrome and red stools lined up against the counter and old jukebox sitting in the corner. A young man with spiky ginger hair wearing an apron stood behind the counter.

"Can I have a double chocolate sundae with raspberry syrup and sprinkles," said LSP.

"Coming right up," replied the shopkeeper.

"You go next, Bud," said Lady, gesturing towards the counter. The man waited for her choice.

"Can I have a banana split with bubblegum flavoured ice cream?" she asked.

"Pink or blue?" asked the man.

"Pink please," replied Bonnibel.

A moment later when they had all ordered they sat down along the row of stools.

"Something tells me you like pink," observed Lady as she looked from Bonnibel's pink outfit and hair to the pink ice cream in her bowl.

"Yeah, it's my favourite colour," she replied.

"I like," Lady paused, making a silly face with wide eyes and a wide open mouth, "ALL OF THE COLOURS." She fist pumped the air and the others burst out laughing.

"I'm guessing you like memes too," giggled Bonnibel.

"I know ALL OF THE MEMES." grinned Lady.

"ME GUSTA!" grinned Bonnibel, pulling a silly face reminiscent of the phrase just spoken.

"Yup, got that one," replied Lady.

"Y U NO STAHP?" cried Bea in mock exasperation.

"I don't know much about memes," added LSP, "You make me forever alone." As time went on the conversation turned from memes to the school disco."

"So, now that you and Brad aren't going together, who are you going to ask to the disco?" asked Bea.

"I don't know really," replied LSP, stirring the now melted ice cream with her spoon.

"Why don't you go with Bud, you know, as a friend?" suggested Lady. LSP looked at Bonnibel who was blushing under the cover of a menu. She knew that she wanted to go with someone but she wasn't sure she wanted to go with LSP. She wished the others would say something to her first. It was one of those, 'Please let the floor open up and swallow me' moments. If LSP was okay with the idea she didn't want to make her feel bad by declining. But it was also true she didn't have anyone. And Lady did say it was just as friends.

"Ummm, Bud, I don't want you to take this the wrong way," said LSP at length, "But I'd rather go with a guy really. I hope you're not upset." Bonnibel hid her relief carefully as she replied.

"That's fine, LSP," she said, "I'm sure I'll find someone." LSP nodded.

"Yeah, you will," she replied.

After the ice cream parlour they went to a clothes shop at LSP's insistence to look for a dress where she spent an eternity looking for dresses that would match her hair and also "enhance her figure" as she put it.

"Hey, I'm a size 12 in this dress," she cried happily as she stood before the mirror in a purple dress that fell to just below her knees. The bodice was decorated with purple sequins and the skirt billowed out as she twirled, "I'm so totally getting this one."

"Have you even checked the price?" asked Bea quietly.

"Oh, not yet, I-," LSP froze as she caught sight of the price tag.

"Get ready for a diva moment, Bud," warned Bea.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" yelled LSP, making Bonnibel jump.

"LSP, language!" said Lady, "We are in the middle of a store, remember?"

"I'll take care of this," said Bea as she made her way over to the raging teen.

"Does LSP always do this?" asked Bonnibel.

"At least three times a week," replied Lady, "She's all talk though. If any of the store clerks came over she'd go as quiet as a mouse."

"What's this all about anyway?" asked Bonnibel.

"LSP likes to find the smallest dress she can comfortably fit into," explained Lady, "Sometimes it takes us all afternoon for her to find one dress she likes that is in her price range." She looked over at where Bea had finally managed to get LSP to stop swearing.

"Bea's the only one who knows how to get her to calm down," said Lady, "I keep meaning to ask her how she does it." Bea joined them a moment later.

"One drama bomb defused," she said, "Mission clear."

"Why don't we go to the game store next?" suggested Lady, eager to evade further diva tantrums.

"Good idea," replied Bea, "I think I'll be able to get the walkthrough there."

"Which Sonic game is this for?" asked Bonnibel.

"It's called Sonic Unleashed," replied Bea, "I can't defeat the last level where you battle Dark Gaia as super sonic."

"Is it good?" asked Bonnibel.

"Well, I think so," replied Bea, "At night you turn into a werehog which gives the game a nice change of pace. Some people didn't like that but I think it's cool."

"Hey, LSP, we're going to the game store now," Lady called over to LSP.

A few minutes later saw them walking down the street towards the game store.

"See that building there?" said Bea, pointing to the one they were just walking past, "That's the nightclub we go to sometimes. It's called the Malibu club. We'll all go some night. Maybe next time they have a live band playing.

"I hope they get Eddie and the Screamers in soon," said LSP, "Their lead singer is a total hottie. Imagine if I could get him to go to the disco with me."

"Keep dreaming, LSP," said Bea, "He's not looking for a girlfriend."

"What do you mean?" asked LSP.

"Well, what do you think I mean?" she replied.

"You're kidding me," grumbled LSP when she realised what Bea meant, "It's always the good-looking ones." Bonnibel looked across the road as she caught sight of a familiar raven haired young woman. She was walking down the street hand in hand with Van Rach, the green haired member of their gang. A car whizzed by and by the time it had gone past they were gone.

An hour later after they had been to the game store they decided to grab a coffee before heading home.

Bonnie sat, stirring her coffee. She felt strangely unsettled. But why?

"Something the matter, Bud?" asked Lady.

"Hmm?" murmured Bonnibel.

"Yeah, you don't seem your usual cheerful self," added LSP, "Did you see something strange out there?" She pointed out the window.

"No, I was just thinking," replied Bonnibel, "I'm fine, guys."

"Hmm...this is the second time you've zoned out on us today," noted Lady, "Are you sure?" She put a hand on Bonnibel's forehead to check for a fever.

"Really, I'm fine," said Bonnibel, "But I want to ask you guys something."

"Sure, go ahead," replied Lady.

"Are Marceline and Van Rach going out?" she asked. Bea sighed.

"Not Marceline again," she groaned, "But yes, they are."

"Why this interest in Marceline anyway?" asked LSP

"I'd like to know more about her," replied Bonnibel, not exactly sure why she gave that particular response.

"What's to know? She's a mean girl with a devious streak," said LSP.

"Well, how would you feel having to live in that part of town on your own?" said Lady, "I bet you have to be tough to survive there, and I bet that's why she is the way she is."

"What part of town?" asked Bonnibel.

"The south side," explained LSP, "It's got a bad reputation for violence and it's frequented by druggies and scumbags."

"I definitely wouldn't want to live there," said Bea.

"Me neither," added Lady.

"Why are you so sympathetic towards Marceline anyway?" asked Bea, "You know she wouldn't treat you any different to anyone else."

"Because it's circumstance that has changed her," replied Lady, "It wasn't her fault. Besides, everyone deserves a second chance."

"And she's probably already had at least a thousand," said Bea. Seeing the inevitable argument LSP decided to change the subject by asking for the bill.

"I still don't think you should judge her so harshly," said Lady as they left.

"Look, will the both of yas just leave it," cried LSP in exasperation, "Anyway, it's time we were heading home."

"Okay, see you guys tomorrow," said Bea before making her way down the street towards the bus stop.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," said LSP.

"Bud, I'm getting the same bus so I'll walk back with you," Lady offered.

"Okay," said Bonnibel before following her down the street.

"I think it would be best if you didn't mention Marceline in front of Bea," advised Lady.

"Yeah, I think you're right," replied Bonnibel. They reached the bus stop and got on.

Half an hour later they got off the bus.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," smiled Lady. She hugged Bonnie which was quite a funny sight given the height difference.

"See you, Lady," Bonnibel called after her before walking back towards home.


	4. Green Mean Girls

Bonnibel turned over, grumbling something into the pillow. She reached out, clumsily tapping the screen of her delta phone. When this did not quiet the noise that emanated from it she sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She unlocked the phone and stared blankly at the message icon which was shaking in the top right hand corner. She looked at the clock, 6am.

"Who could be up this early?" she groaned as she pressed the shaking message icon. Up popped her inbox with the new message displayed at the top, a small number one next to it. It was from Lady. "Lady, what are you doing up at this unglobly hour?" asked Bonnibel of her phone. Nonetheless she opened the message and scanned the contents.

"Hey Bud, just a quick heads up. : ) It's Saint Paddy's day today so make sure you wear something green ; ) See you at school. Xx"

Bonnibel looked regretfully at her pillow. It was too late to go back to sleep so she got up and made her way over to her wardrobe. She picked out a green plaid shirt, a pair of faded blue leggings and a pair of converse.

"This'll do," she smiled as she pulled the shirt over her head.

Half an hour later she made her way downstairs to the kitchen where Peppo was setting the table for breakfast.

"Happy Saint Patrick's Day," he said cheerfully as he noticed Bonnibel's green attire.

"Happy Saint Patrick's Day," Bonnibel replied as she sat down to breakfast.

"Is your school doing anything to celebrate?" asked Peppo as he sat down opposite her.

"Other than the clothes, not that I know of," replied Bonnibel, "I guess I should check convozone." She pulled up the browser on her phone and typed the web address into the address bar. Peppo waited while she searched her messages and notifications for any hints.

"Yeah, we finish an hour early today," she said.

"Do you want me to collect you then?" asked Peppo.

"No worries, there's a bus at 2:15," she replied, "Thanks all the same."

A little while later saw her walking out towards the bus stop. The mornings were just starting to warm up. Her breath still came out in clouds but it was dew that coated the grass instead of frost. Bored, she pulled out her mp3 player and switched to one of her favourite tracks, humming along to the tune. She only took out her headphones when she spotted the bus advancing up the road towards her. She got on and took her usual seat next to Lady. Today Lady had discarded her usual rainbow turtleneck top in favour of a forest green top decorated with shamrocks.

"Hey, nice shirt, Bud," she observed, "I'm guessing you got my message. Hope I didn't wake you up."

"No, you didn't," Bonnibel lied, "But yeah, I got it. I also noticed we get out early today."

"It's a good thing too," replied Lady sheepishly, "I kinda forgot to do the homework for the last class so lucky break on my part."

"What homework was that?" asked Bonnibel.

"Maths," replied Lady, "Not my strong point at the best of times. We're doing pythagoras' theorem but I don't get it." Bonnibel thought for a moment. She was sure Peppo wouldn't mind.

"I have an idea," she said. Lady looked over at her.

"Oh? What is it?" she asked.

"Why don't you come over to my house after school?" suggested Bonnibel, "I could help you with it if you like."

"I'd have to ask my parents," replied Lady, "But if that's ok with you I don't see why not." Lady took out her phone and dialled her home number.

"안녕 엄마," she began as the receiver picked up. Bonnibel listened, enthralled, as Lady switched from English to Korean nigh seamlessly. She loved listening to other languages and she made a mental note to ask Lady to teach her a few phrases sometime.

"Okay, they say I can go," smiled Lady, "Thanks Bud."

"No problem," replied Bonnibel. Suddenly a thought struck her.

"Lady, how do you say St. Patrick's day in Korean?" she asked.

"성 패트릭의 날," replied Lady.

"성 패트릭의 날," repeated Bonnibel.

"Almost," smiled Lady, "성 패트릭의 날."

The bus reached the school and they got off, making their way towards the main building.

"What have you got first?" asked Lady.

"Geography I think," replied Bonnibel.

"Did you get the homework done?" asked Lady.

"Yeah, it took me a while to find all the figures but I got it in the end," replied Bonnibel. For Geography they had to research the amounts per capita for each state in America. It was a long and rather tedious task and some of the smaller states were hard to find figures for.

"What did you get for Utah?" asked Lady. Bonnibel took out her notes and checked the carefully.

"$18,185," replied Bonnibel.

"Same here," said Lady.

They reached the form room where they waited for Mr. Petrikov to arrive. As usual he was late and when he arrived he spent a few minutes looking through his suitcase. At last he found what he was looking for as he pulled out a penguin paperweight and placed it in amongst the others. Bonnibel silently wondered how long it would be before the entire desk was covered.

After registration and announcements Bonnibel followed Lady up towards the Geography corridor. The teacher was a tall thin woman with pursed lips and greying hair pulled back into a tight bun that seemed to elongate her already horsey face. Her name was Miss Crabapple which said quite a bit about her personality. She wordlessly collected the homework before pacing to the blackboard, writing down the next topic on it.

"Have you found anyone to go with you to the disco yet?" Lady whispered across to Bonnibel. Bonnibel shook her head.

"Not yet," she replied under her breath, "Have you?" Lady shook her head.

"Hey, if neither of us find dates by next weekend, how about we go as friends?" she asked.

"Okay," Bonnibel replied.

"No talking, girls," the teacher interrupted and they fell silent.

"Have you asked any of the guys yet?" asked Lady as they left the classroom for break.

"No, not yet," replied Bonnibel.

"None of them your type, huh?" asked Lady.

"No, not really," replied Bonnibel, "Anyway, there's still time."

"Definitely," smiled Lady, "Oh, LSP found someone. One of the guys from the football team. I think his name is Daryl."

They met up with Bea and LSP outside the canteen. LSP, needless to say, was talking about her new date, bragging about how much hotter than Brad he was.

"How about you, Bud?" asked LSP, "Found anyone yet?"

"Not yet," replied Bonnibel.

"How about you go with that cute guy in your class, Philip?" suggested LSP, "I heard someone say he fancies you."

"And which one of your reliable sources would that be?" asked Bea with a hint of sarcasm.

"Melissa, of course," replied LSP as thought it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Anyway, what about it, Bud?"

"I dunno, LSP," replied Bonnibel, "I don't think I like him that way. I hardly know him."

"Doesn't matter," said LSP with a dismissive wave of her hand, "You don't even have to fancy them."

"Come on, Lil," said Lady, coming to Bonnibel's aid, "Bud doesn't have to go with him if she doesn't want to." She knew LSP could be a little pushy without even meaning to and she didn't want Bonnibel to feel pressured into dating someone she barely knew.

The bell rang and Bonnibel made her way out of the canteen with Bea, making their way towards the technology labs.

"What should I do if he asks me?" asked Bonnibel.

"Just say no politely but firmly," replied Bea, "Say that you're flattered that he asked you but no." Bonnibel nodded.

Marceline beckoned Tessa and Gecko into the technology lab.

"So, what did you want us to meet here for?" asked Tessa.

"Well, I thought it was only fair that we arrange a little greeting for the new girl," smirked Marceline, "It's only polite after all." Tessa and Gecko sniggered at this.

"And what did you have in mind?" grinned Gecko.

"You'll see," replied Marceline, "But first, give me a hand with this oil, would ya?"

"Is the teacher there yet?" asked Bea.

"I don't think so," replied Bonnibel, "Can we just go on in?"

"Yeah, he doesn't usually mind," said Bea.

They walked into the classroom area followed by a group of girls and boys from their class. Bonnibel turned to look at the lab section as a flicker of movement caught the corner of her eye.

"What is it, Bud?" asked Bea.

"I think I saw someone in the lab," replied Bonnibel. She watched for a moment but the lab appeared to be completely empty. She looked over at the whiteboard where something caught her eye.

"Oh, he's left us a message," she observed, "Looks like we're supposed to go into the lab and wait for him there." She made her way towards the partition doors. Bea hesitated, looking at the writing on the board.

"Wait a minute," she murmured. Something didn't feel right, "Mr. Grayson doesn't usually ask us to go in." She turned to look at Bonnibel who was reaching out for the door handle.

"BONNIBEL, WAIT!" she cried but it was too late.

There was a clatter and a muffled wail as the bucket that had been standing precariously on top of the door crashed down onto Bonnibel's head, drenching her in black oil. Bea hurried over to Bonnibel and pulled the bucket off her head.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. She heard familiar laughter coming from across the room.

"Marceline, I should've known it was you," she yelled. Marceline, Tessa and Gecko appeared from behind the lathe that stood in the corner. Bonnibel whimpered as she heard the laughter of her classmates. Only Bea wasn't laughing.

"Marceline, what is the meaning of this?" she yelled.

"We were just greeting the new girl," Marceline replied with mock innocence.

"And saving her from a fashion disaster," added Tessa. Marceline burst out with renewed laughter at this.

"Oooh, look at lil miss hipsta," smirked Gecko.

"I suppose you think we're all too mainstream for you," Marceline jeered. Bonnibel cringed, feeling smaller than ever as the insults continued. Her hair felt lank and heavy from the amount of oil in it and she felt certain her clothes were ruined.

Just then the teacher walked in carrying a clipboard. He looked from the laughing jeering teens to the oil soaked girl hugging herself miserably.

"What is going on here?" he asked angrily, "Marceline, Tessa, Gina, go to the Headmaster's office."

"See you later Bonnibutt," jeered Marceline as she left the room. Mr. Grayson sighed.

"Beatrice, can you take Bonnibel down to the bathrooms to get cleaned up? he asked.

"Yes sir," replied Bea.

"The rest of you, quiet down," he continued, "I am very disappointed."

Bea led the miserable young woman out of the classroom, leaving small puddles of oil in their wake. She wasn't the sort of girl to say, 'I told you so,' but this really did prove it. She figured Bonnibel didn't need telling twice.

They reached the main building and made their way up the stairs in the direction of the bathroom.

Lady exited the classroom, holding a stack of papers. She caught sight of Bea leading a miserable looking Bonnibel in the direction of the bathroom. She set the papers down on the window sill and hurried over to them.

"What happened?" she demanded, looking concerned.

"Marceline happened," said Bea.

"Oh no," gasped Lady.

"Now do you believe me, Lindsay?" asked Bea. Lady didn't reply. Instead she followed Bea and Bonnibel into the bathroom. Bea turned on the hot water and filled one of the basins.

"Here, hand me your bag," she said gently, taking the satchel off Bonnibel's shoulder. It, like Bonnibel, was drenched in oil and she opened it cautiously. A few of the textbooks had escaped unharmed but her science folder looked as though it had seen better days. While she continued to look for anything salvageable Lady helped Bonnibel to rinse the oil out of her hair.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, "Did you get any of it in your eyes?" Bonnibel shook her head.

"I'm afraid your clothes are..well..." continued Lady.

"Ruined, I know," finished Bonnibel.

"Don't worry, I have some sports gear you can change into," offered Lady as she continued to rinse out the oil. Bonnibel smiled slightly.

"What did I ever do to her?" asked Bonnie as she sat in the changing rooms with Bea and Lindsay. Bea tossed her Lindsay's sports hoodie. "You don't have to do anything as far as Marceline's concerned," she replied wearily, "I told you she was trouble." Bonnie pulled the hoodie over her head.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said before turning to Lindsay, "Thanks for lending me your sports gear," she smiled.

"No problem," replied Lindsay, "Sorry if it's a little on the big side."

"No, it's just fine," said Bonnie, "Won't you be late for class?"

"Don't worry about it," replied Lindsay with a dismissive wave of her hand, "It's just LLW. Believe me, I'm not missing much."

"LLW?" replied Bonnie, "I don't think they taught that at my old school."

"I'm not surprised," said Lindsay, "I think it's only taught in a few schools. It's Learning for Life and Work. It's all about citizenship, employability and sex-ed." Bea sniggered.

"Have the boys done the banana lesson yet?" she asked.

"Banana lesson?" said Bonnibel.

"Yeah, you know?" laughed Bea, "Where they put a-," she made a hand gesture to illustrate what she meant, "Over a banana?"

"A what?" asked Bonnibel.

"Come on, you can't be that innocent," laughed Bea. When Bonnibel continued to look puzzled Bea stopped laughing, "You mean you really don't know?" Bonnie shook her head.

"They use the bananas to teach boys how to put on condoms," explained Bea. Lindsay giggled and Bonnie blushed scarlet.

"You're so innocent, it's adorable," said Lindsay, "Keep that innocence for as long as you can, Bud, it's a rare thing." Bonnibel smiled.

"Hey, tell Mr. Grayson that Bud's with me, okay Bea," said Lady, "I don't imagine she'll really want to go back to Technology."

"No, I have to go back," replied Bonnibel stubbornly, "I can't let Marceline get the better of me. If I don't go back, she'll think she's beaten me."

"Alright," conceded Lady, "I'll see you after school. 2 by the main entrance?"

"Yep," replied Bonnibel as she followed Bea out of the room.

Bonnibel couldn't help but notice the look of faint surprise flash across Marceline's face as she re-entered the classroom and joined her classmates. She smiled to herself. She wasn't about to make it an easy victory.

At the end of the day Bonnibel made her way to the main entrance where Lady was already standing. The sleeves of the hoodie Lady had leant her were slipping down over her hands and the tracksuit bottoms covered her shoes as she walked.

"Hey Bud," Lady greeted her, "How was the rest of technology?"

"I gave Marceline a surprise by showing up," grinned Bonnibel, "You ready to go?" Lady nodded.

"How are you going to explain to your parents about your clothes?" asked Lady as they walked towards the bus stop.

"They won't be in," replied Bonnibel, "It'll just be Peppo."

"Whose Peppo?" asked Lady.

"Our butler," replied Bonnibel.

"My, my, I didn't realise I was in the presence of a Princess," smiled Lady, making a graceful curtsey, "Forgive me, Princess." Bonnibel laughed.

"That's what my parents sometimes call me," she giggled.

"Then that's what me and the girls will call you from now on," smiled Lady.

They got the bus and laughed and joked as it made its way down towards Bonnibel's house. Here they got off and Lady followed Bonnibel to her house.

"Wow," she breathed as she looked up at what was practically a mansion that stood before her, "Nice place, Princess."

"Thanks," replied Bonnibel as she led her into the foyer. They left their coats by the door before making their way into the kitchen where Peppo was preparing dinner.

"Hey Peppo," Bonnibel greeted him.

"Oh, hello Bonnibel," smiled Peppo. He smiled at Lady, "And who's this?"

"This is Lindsay," Bonnibel introduced Lady to Peppo, "And Lady, this is Peppo."

"A Lady and a Princess," laughed Peppo, "I am humbled by your presence." Bonnibel laughed. "Shall I lay out an extra place for dinner?" asked Peppo.

"That's okay," replied Lady, "My mum will have dinner ready when I get back."

"Okay, but you're welcome anytime," smiled Peppo.

"Thanks Peppo," said Bonnibel, "Lady and I are going to go up and do some studying. See you later."

"Okay, see you both," Peppo called after them as they made their way upstairs and along the corridor to Bonnibel's room.

"Wow, you've got a beautiful garden," said Lady as she looked out the window.

"Thanks, I haven't actually been out in it yet," replied Bonnibel as she took out her maths book which had fortunately been spared the oily onslaught from earlier.

They settled down on the bed where Bonnibel opened the textbook at the page Lady was stuck at.

"Ok, so you have to simplify the squared numbers first before you can add them together," said Bonnibel, "So that's 256 + 529." She pulled out her calculator. "And that's 788. Now we need to find the square root of that and you'll get the value of x. Do you get it?"

"I think so," replied Lady who was lying on her stomach on the bed, calculator in hand, "That would be 28.07cm?"

"Yep, that's it," said Bonnibel.

"Thanks Princess," replied Lady, "And that applies to any missing sides, doesn't it? Not just the hypotenuse?"

"Yeah, that's right," smiled Bonnibel, "But only on right angled triangles."

"Got it," replied Lady, "So, what do I do if they give me an equilateral or isosceles?"

"You need to use SOH CAH TOA," explained Bonnibel.

"Socatoa?" replied Lady, "What's that?"

"Oh, it was an old rhyme taught to me at my old school for remembering Sine, Cosine and Tangent," explained Bonnibel, drawing out three triangles split into three sections. She labelled each one with the letters, SOH, CAH and TOA.

"See, SOH stands for, Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse, C is Cosine = Adjacent over Hypotenuse and T is Tangent = Opposite over Adjacent."

"I don't think we've covered that yet," replied Lady who looked as though her head was spinning.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the teacher will explain it really well," Bonnie reassured her.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," replied Lady, "And I'll remember your rhyme. SOHCAHTOA. Haha, it sounds funny. Kinda catchy." With that she began making beatboxing sounds accompanied by the rhyme. Bonnibel clutched at her sides with laughter at the young woman's antics.

"Gurl, you cray-cray," she laughed.

"I know," replied Lady with a massive grin plastered across her face. They continued to laugh and joke as the hours slipped by.

"Well, I'd better get home," said Lady, "Thanks for having me, Princess."

"No problem," replied Bonnibel. She walked with Lady down to the front door where they bade each other farewell.

"See you tomorrow," said Lady as she hugged Bonnibel.

"See you," Bonnibel called after her before closing the door.


	5. Movie Fright

"Hey Princess," said Lady as Bonnibel sat down next to her on the bus.

"Hi Lady," she replied, "How was your weekend?"

"Not bad, went down to my aunt and uncle's house for the weekend and while we were there they took us down to the coast to go rock climbing," said Lady.

"You go rock climbing?" replied Bonnibel.

"Yeah, only a few times a year but it's great fun," said Lady, "Why don't you come with us next time? We usually have a barbecue while we're there but it was raining this time so we just had a picnic in the back of the car."

"Sounds fun," smiled Bonnibel, "I'd like that."

"Ok, though it might be a while before we go again but I'll let you know," replied Lady, "What did you do over the weekend?"

"Not much," said Bonnibel, "My parents were away on business so I spent some time revising and checked up on Convozone. Started procrastinating, watching grapevine videos for a while." Lady laughed.

"That happens all too easily," she smiled. Bonnibel laughed.

"Yeah, before I knew it, it was half four," she grinned, "That reminds me, are you free this Friday night?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Lady.

"I was wondering if you, Bea and LSP would like to come to my place for a sleepover?" asked Bonnibel.

"Yeah, that sounds like a blast," replied Lady, "Have you asked any of the others yet?"

"I asked Bea last night on Convozone but I still have to ask LSP," said Bonnibel.

"I can't see her saying no," replied Lady, "She never turns down an opportunity to play truth or dare. What were you planning on doing anyway?"

"Oh watch horror movies, do makeovers, play games," replied Bonnibel, "That sort of stuff."

"Sounds good," smiled Lady as the bus drew up outside the school, "Oh sugar, I've got maths first, see you later, Princess."

"See ya," Bonnibel called after her as she made her way across the grounds in the direction of the school. She looked at her timetable. "Ok, Home Economics, room D109," she read aloud.

* * *

The week passed by quickly and before long it was Friday and the entire school was buzzing with the usual pre-weekend chatter, discussing plans and, for some, dates. The girls had arranged that they would get the bus home with Bonnibel to save the hassle of getting their parents to drive them over later. Bonnibel had already spoken to Peppo and he had agreed.

"So, what are we doing first?" asked LSP.

"Get some snacks and maybe watch some videos on iTube," suggested Bonnibel.

"When are we going to play truth or dare?" asked LSP.

"Probably after Peppo's gone to bed," replied Bonnibel, "Then we'll have the house to ourselves and we can do what we want."

"Won't your parents be there?" asked LSP.

"No, they're still away," replied Bonnibel, "All the more freedom for us, right?" Lady frowned. Had it been her imagination or had Bonnibel's last sentence sounded a bit forced to be cheerful? She resolved to broach the subject later, preferably when the others were out of earshot.

They walked out of the school doors and made their way across the grounds towards the bus stop.

"What exactly do your parents do anyway?" asked Bea.

"It depends," replied Bonnibel, "They're businesspeople so they go wherever the work is, looking for a product that will sell."

"It sounds awesome," replied Bea.

"Yeah," said Bonnibel with a wan smile, "Anyway, I don't really know more than that. I think it's basically giving business advice and handling the administration side of things." They reached the bus and got on. To Lady's relief LSP caught sight of Brad from her seat and turned the conversation towards a session of Bradbashing. Normally Lady would tune this sort of conversation out but at least it took the topic onto more comfortable territory.

"If he was that horrible then why not forget about him and try and find another guy?" asked Bonnibel.

"Because it's not that easy, Princess," explained LSP, "Every guy I've met seems to be the same; self centred jerks."

"Well, what about that guy who works at the games arcade?" asked Bea, "What was his name?"

"I think it was Jack, wasn't it?" replied LSP.

"No, it's Jake," added Lady, "He's kinda cute, don't you think?"

"I don't really think he's my type, Lady," replied LSP, "I go for the athletic types more."

"What was athletic about Brad?" asked Lady.

"Hey, he could finish a triple chocolate sundae in under three minutes," protested LSP.

"Pfft, that's not athletic," replied Bea, "That's just greedy."

"Anyway," interjected Bonnibel, seeing a possible argument developing on the horizon, "What do you think of Jake, Lady?"

"I've only spoken to him once," replied Lady, "But he seemed really nice. I was out shopping when we sorta bumped into each other. He was looking for his little brother, Finn, who had wandered off while they were at the market. I told him I'd seen him hanging around the games stall. He thanked me before hurrying off."

"Do you think you'd want to get to know him more?" asked Bonnibel.

"Yeah, but he's in a different year group to us," replied Lady.

"So, just find him on Convozone and talk to him," suggested Bonnibel.

"I dunno, just randomly starting up conversations, it isn't really my thing," replied Lady.

"Aw, c'mon, you said you like him," persisted Bonnibel.

"Well, yeah, but-," hesitated Lady, "Alright, I'll think of some way to start a conversation with him. But not tonight," she added firmly.

"Okay, agreed," conceded Bonnibel.

The bus came to a halt and they got off, thanking the driver as they did so.

"Okay, this way, guys," said Bonnibel as she led them down the street towards her house.

"Wow, your place is huge," gasped LSP.

"A proper palace," added Bea, "I think your new nickname definitely suits you, Princess." Bonnibel smiled.

"Looks like Peppo's out at the moment," observed Bonnibel as she tried the door, only to find it locked. She took a spare key out of her purse and unlocked the door, crossing the threshold into the foyer. They hung their coats up on the rack before following Bonnibel into the kitchen. Here she grabbed a stool and climbed onto it to reach the shelves where the snacks were kept.

"Let's see, we've got crisps," she tossed down a few packets onto the counter, "Soda, cookies and some ice cream for later. Anything else we need?" she asked.

"Got any popcorn for the movie later on?" asked LSP. Bonnibel check the cupboards.

"I've got some unpopped popcorn," she replied, "I've never made popcorn before though."

"I'll give you a hand," offered LSP, "But first, let's check out these videos you were  
talking about."

"Okay, my laptop's up in my room," replied Bonnibel. She led the way upstairs to her room where she took out her laptop, setting it down on the bed and booting it up.

"What shall we watch first?" asked LSP.

"You've gotta see heavy metal farmer," chuckled Lady.

"Oh my Glob, I've seen that," replied LSP, "That was hilarious. Princess, have you seen it yet?"

"I don't think so," said Bonnibel.

"I think we know what we're watching first then," replied LSP as she waited while Bonnibel logged into her iTelly account. She handed the laptop to LSP who began typing in the keywords.

"Ok, here it is," she grinned. The video took a moment to buffer before the music started playing. Within a few moments they were all laughing their heads off at the sheer strangeness of the video. Next, at Lady's insistence, they watched a full five minutes of nyan cat, each of them trying to sing the lyrics before running out of breath before collapsing in a giggling heap on the bed.

"Oh, I've got one," said Bonnibel, "See if you recognise this one." She pulled the sleeve of her jacket up and tucked in her thumb and pinky so only three fingers were showing above the fabric of the sleeve, "I like rusty spoons," she said in a strange high pitched voice, "Hehe, I like to touch them."

"Salad Fingers," cried Bea, "Oh my Glob, we have to watch that."

"Has the tenth episode come out yet?" asked Lady.

"Yeah, I think so," replied Bea, "I haven't watched it yet though, have you, Princess?"

"Not yet," said Bonnibel. She typed in the keywords and waited for the video to load.

"Hey, that's the guy from episode 3," observed LSP, pointing to the screen.

"And Horace Horse Collar is back too," added Bonnibel. They continued watching as Salad Fingers went looking for the doctor.

"I swear these episodes get creepier and creepier every time," said Bea.

"But that's what makes them cool," replied Bonnibel, "Did you notice something about the episode with Jeremy Fisher?"

"What about it?" asked LSP.

"The bit where he's talking to the toilet and the bit later on with the life sized Jeremy Fisher are two halves of the same conversation."

"What, seriously?" gasped LSP. Bonnibel nodded.

"Here, I'll show you," she replied, clicking the episode in question. She moved the slider back and forth between the two conversations.

"Jeremy Fisher! I thought you were out fighting the great War. I'm not one for accusations, but this one's cast iron," said the Salad Fingers sitting in the chair. She switched back to the scene with the toilet.

"Pardon? I don't understand... What is this?" said Salad Fingers. She switched back.

"I've seen you tailgating my daughter, with aspirations of deflowering her rose," said the Salad Fingers in the chair. The scene switched back again.

"No! This isn't true! You've got the wrong bloke squire!" said a worried looking Salad Fingers. Once more the scene swithed.

"I don't make mistakes comrade, this one's textbook," responded Salad Fingers.

"Wow, I never noticed that before," said LSP, "So, what do you think Salad Fingers is all about?"

"I think there was a nuclear war," replied Bonnibel, "And Salad Fingers and his world are the result."

"I hope we don't ever find out what that's like," remarked Lady.

"Well, it would be scientifically impossible for someone to survive long enough to reach that stage," Bonnibel said, trying to sound reassuring.

"So we wouldn't get all mutatey and stuff?" asked LSP.

"Doubtful," replied Bonnibel, "Radiation poisoning is far more likely. Anyway, know anymore good videos?"

"I know one," said Bea, "There's this guy who plays a surgeon simulation game among other things and his videos crack me up. We have got to watch the one about the octopus though."

"Octopus?" said LSP.

"Yeah, it's a game about an octopus masquerading as a human and trying to be a dad without raising suspicion," explained Bea, "The game physics are hilarious in themselves but pewds makes it even funnier." It didn't take them long to find the video in question and before long they were laughing their heads off as the well known iTuber played the game while providing it with a script of his own.

"Have you seen these moves?" laughed LSP as she wiggled her hips, "Have you seen these moves?"

"Do you like it, when I swirl around you?" asked Bea, making Lady collapse on the bed in a fit of laughter.

"Oh my Glob," cried Bonnibel between laughs, "Oh my...oh my Glob, this guy's great. Totally subscribing."

As the afternoon passed they looked up more videos which led to more bursts of laughter and jokes. They sat up as they heard the door click and they made their way down the hall to see Peppo hanging up his coat.

"Hey Peppo," Bonnibel called from the top of the stairs.

"Hey girls," Peppo called back, "Dinner will be ready in about an hour, ok?"

"Ok," replied Bonnibel. They returned to the bedroom to look up grapevine videos.

"What the actual fudge?" gasped LSP as they rapidly clicked away from one video.

"Was that what I thought it was?" asked Bonnie.

"Yeah, definitely," added Bea, "Why don't we go onto deviousart for a bit?"

"What's deviousart?" asked LSP.

"It's an online art gallery," explained Bonnibel.

"Do you have an account on there?" asked Bea. Bonnibel nodded, "I'll add you to my watch list then."

"What's your username then?" asked Bonnibel.

"BMOtheGamer," replied Bea.

"BMO?" said Bonnibel.

"Yeah, it's one of my nicknames," replied Bea, "Bea Mode gets shortened to BMO a lot."

"Cool," said Bonnibel, "I'll have to remember that one, BMO."

"So, what's your username?" asked BMO.

"Bubblegum-Princess," replied Bonnibel.

"Why Bubblegum?" asked LSP. Bonnibel shrugged her shoulders.

"I like bubblegum," she replied.

"You've got a lot of yuri on your account," observed BMO, "OMG, you ship Harumichi too."

"Yeah, they're my OTP," replied Bonnibel.

"Awww, look, yuri bonding," giggled LSP.

"Shut it, Lil," BMO and Bonnibel said in unison. Lady began laughing at this while LSP looked less than amused at being told to 'shut it'.

"Girls, dinner's ready," said Peppo from the doorway. Bonnibel logged off and they followed Peppo down to the kitchen.

"We've got lasagne and...," Peppo paused, "Are any of you girls vegetarian?"

"Nope," they replied. Peppo breathed a sigh of relief as nothing else had been prepared. He served up the lasagne and they sat down at the table.

Once the dinner plates had been cleared away they went back upstairs to Bonnibel's room.

"So, what film will we be watching anyway?" asked LSP.

"There are a few I can rent from vidrental," replied Bonnibel, "We've got: The Shining, Halloween Uncut, Nightmare on Elm Street, Carry and the Scary Movie Series."

"Okay, not Carry," said LSP immediately, "I've seen it, it's not scary."

"Are any of the Saw movies on there?" asked Lady.

"No, I tried looking for them earlier," replied Bonnibel, "No one's added them yet."

"Why don't we watch Halloween Uncut?" asked BMO.

"That one's way to gory for me," replied Lady, "How about The Shining?"

"I don't think I've seen that one," said BMO.

"All the more reason to watch it, right Princess?" asked Lady.

"Why not?" replied Bonnibel, "Besides, we'll have plenty of time to watch more than one."

* * *

"Okay, me and LSP will go get the popcorn ready while you guys get the video set up," said Bonnibel as she and LSP left the room. Peppo had long since gone to bed and the house was silent.

"Kinda eerie after dark, isn't it?" commented LSP.

"Yeah, but it's just an old house," replied Bonnibel. They reached the kitchen.

"Where are the saucepans?" asked LSP

"Under the sink," replied Bonnibel, pointing to the cupboard. She lifted down the bag of popcorn kernels from the shelf while LSP put the pot on the stove before adding some oil to it. Bonnibel emptied in some of the kernels until there was a layer of them covering the bottom of the pot. She then turned on the gas. A few minutes later the first kernel popped. This was their cue to hastily put on the lid as soon after the rest of the kernels began popping.

After another few minutes the popping ceased and they emptied the popcorn into a bowl before adding some butter to it. "We'd better bring up some salt as well," said Bonnibel as she reached the salt shaker down from the cupboard before following LSP out of the room.

The stairs creaked as they made their way back up. Something groaned overhead.

"What was that?" asked LSP.

"Probably just the water pipes," replied Bonnibel a little uneasily. Something shifted in the dark and they turned to see what it was. One of the windows was open and it was the curtains they had seen flapping in the breeze.

"I guess Peppo must've opened one of the windows," said Bonnibel. They made their way up onto the landing.

"It's so dark," observed Bonnie, "I knew I should've brought a torch down with us." Something clattered and they stopped dead, looking around.

"An explanation would be good about now, Princess," urged LSP. Bonnibel looked around but no explanation sprang to mind to identify the clatter. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to think of something.

"Maybe a book," she said lamely. There was another clatter, louder than the first.

"Or a stack of books," she added nervously.

Suddenly one of the windows blew open just behind them and the curtains billowed out. LSP and Bonnibel screamed, running down the hall to the bedroom, leaving a trail of popcorn behind them. They burst in through the door and shut it behind them.

"What's got into you two?" asked Lady, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not seen, heard," replied LSP, setting the now half empty bowl of popcorn on the bed. They settled down next to Bea and Lindsay. Now that they were back in the warmth and light of the room, ghosts and other things that went bump in the night gradually seemed to become less of a possibility.

"It was probably just stuff in the house," said Bonnibel at last. LSP nodded. "Did you guys get the movie set up?"

"Yeah, it's good to go," replied Bea as she clicked the play button. The film began with the main characters making their way towards a hotel. The four girls were crowded around the laptop, watching as the film progressed. As Jack slowly slipped into madness the atmosphere in the bedroom grew tense. Bonnibel chewed on the sleeve of her jacket and Lady was holding a pillow to her chest, peeking over the top.

THUD! The girls screamed before realising the noise had not come from the film.

"What was that?" asked LSP.

"I don't know," replied Lady. Bea paused the film and they listened intently.

"Maybe just the house again," suggested Bonnibel. There came another thud. "That came from downstairs." Bea got up.

"Bea, where are you going?" hissed LSP.

"Going to investigate," replied Bea, "Ghosts don't scare me. You guys coming?" They all shook their heads. "Suit yourself." She took out her delta phone and switched on the torch app, making her way down the corridor, tip-toeing past the rooms. She stopped as she felt the back of her neck start to prickle unpleasantly. She whipped around and let out a startled yell.

"Bea, it's only us," said Lady.

"Yeah, I know," replied Bea, "Just don't sneak up on me like that."

"We thought we'd help you look for the ghost," said LSP.

"Okay, but don't do that anymore," replied Bea. They made their way along the corridor, the floorboards creaking with each footstep. There was an empty rattle from the floor below.

"You know who we need right now?" said Lindsay.

"Who?" asked Bonnibel.

"Who ya gonna call?" asked LSP, attempting to lighten the situation.

"Ghost Busters!" replied Bea.

"Guys, not so loud. It might hear us," Bonnibel whispered urgently.

"You're not scared, are you, Princess?" asked LSP mockingly.

" Of course not," replied Bonnibel, "Ghosts aren't even scientifically possible."

"Then why are you afraid they might hear us then?" asked LSP.

"I...Nevermind. Let's just find out what made that noise," replied Bonnibel.

"Or who," added Lindsay. They reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door to the living room. Bea swept the torch beam around the room but found nothing.

"Let's check the kitchen," suggested Bea, leading the way into the kitchen.

"Supposing it's burglars," said Lady, holding an umbrella she'd found in the umbrella stand by the door. Bonnibel was holding a walking stick. LSP hastily grabbed a fire poker leaning against the wall.

"Sssh, I hear something," said Bea. They turned the corner to find someone rummaging around in the fridge. The girls screamed in unison, causing the figure to bang its head on the fridge before turning to face them, blinking into the torch light.

"Peppo?" cried Bonnibel.

"Girls, what _are_ you all doing up this late?" he asked, massaging his head where it had struck the fridge.

"We were watching a movie but then we heard noises coming from downstairs so we went to investigate," replied LSP.

"We thought you were a ghost or a burglar," added Bonnibel.

"Well, I'm not either," replied Peppo, "And you girls should be asleep."

"So, this house isn't haunted?" said LSP.

"No, it's not," replied Peppo, "Now, go back to bed, it's late."

"I'm glad it wasn't a ghost," said Lady as they climbed back up the stairs.

"Or a burglar," added Bonnibel. They reached the bedroom, closing the door behind them before switching off the light. There was only the one bed so they had to line up like sardines in a can along the bed.

"I guess we watched too much of the film," said Bonnibel sleepily.

"I guess so," replied Lady, "Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," the others replied.

Of course, even with the lateness of the hour it was a while before they were all asleep as, as soon as anyone neared the edge of sleep, someone would ask a question or start talking which of course, brought them back to wakefulness. Lady threatened to banish LSP to a spare room if she didn't shut up about Brad and LSP grew significantly quieter after this.

At last all were asleep and thoughts of ghostly ghouls and burglars bothered them nevermore.


End file.
